The New York Times' Kyle Buchanan feverishly led thetweeted criticism, including, "They premiered this image at night??? We are supposed to sleep after this???"

We could go on about the chorus of social media barbs, which became such a thing that John Oliver used the blue Genie image as a punchline on "Last Week Tonight," comparing it to the looming "disaster" when Britain leaves the European Union.

"You know how Twitter is. There’s a pitchfork army out there and they all join in. And right now, Will Smith’s blue Genie is out in front of this army, in a negative way," says Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "The Genie just looked odd. And while it's called 'Aladdin,' all the attention since Robin Williams' role is focused on the Genie."

Disney wouldn't comment on the marketing aspects of the film, which has stoked excitement with fans who made 2016's live-action "The Jungle Book" a major hit. The studio stood behind its Genie in a statement to USA TODAY: “We have one of the most anticipated films of the year and are confident that audiences will fall in love with the Genie and all of the characters when it hits the big screen this May.”

Bringing out the Will Smith Genie, and the blue, has been a slow, deliberate rollout for Disney after two teaser trailers – as if to ease fans into the full live-action blueness against the formidable history of Williams' cartoon creation.

In December, a smiling Smith was unveiled on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, minus his CGI blue coloring. After fans reacted badly, the star assured them on Instagram, "I’m gonna be BLUE! :-) This is how the Genie is in Human / Disguise Form."

They didn't know how blue.

However awkward the first look, the negative reaction shouldn't be a surprise, according to director Raja Gosnell, who unveiled his own bright blue update of beloved animated characters in 2011's live-action "The Smurfs."

"We didn’t have the Twitter world back then that we have now, thank God. But that unveiling was met with levels of horror and gnashing of teeth by the online community," says Gosnell. "There is always going to be some sort of outcry by the keyboard warriors. It was going to be the same thing with the blue Genie from 'Aladdin.' "

A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith) on Dec 19, 2018 at 5:28am PST

"The Smurfs" went on to find its audience, make $563.7 million in the worldwide box office, and Gosnell brought the live-action creations brought back for a 2013 sequel, "The Smurfs 2."

But there are many voices who contend Disney missed the vital opportunity to make a strong first impression that Smith's Genie could hold his own against Williams' legacy.

Critics loathed "Kazaam." But Shaq looked the part of a genie.(Photo: TOUCHSTONE PICTURES)

Paul Michael Glaser conceptualized and directed 1996's "Kazaam" around 7-foot-1 superstar center Shaquille O'Neal. While the fantasy musical was disparaged by critics, visualizing Shaq as a genie was spot-on casting.

Glaser says the decision to depict Smith as blue and physically pumped up, like a live-action version of Williams' character, wasn't "a smart thing to do."

"Making him blue was a bit of cop-out. But even more than that was the big, muscular look makes this Genie more comparable to the animated version. Why does a Genie have to be all of that?" says Glaser.

Listen to this week's episode of USA TODAY's podcast, The Mothership, to hear about upcoming Disney live-action remakes and whether they do more harm than good.

He would have preferred seeing more of what the superstar leading man could bring. "They missed the boat in terms of trying to really explore what it would be like to rub a bottle and have Will Smith come out of it," says Glaser.

Smith has made clear he will make the part his own in the final film, which EW described in the first look story as “part Fresh Prince, part Hitch." Smith, who acknowledged he was "terrified" to go up against Williams' "iconic" role, said in the piece his character was "different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane."

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A host of new movies arrive in 2019, from big-budget treasures to smaller delights, including a fresh adaptation of Disney's "Aladdin" featuring Naomi Scott as the beautiful and self-determined Princess Jasmine. DANIEL SMITH

One year after her husband's untimely death, a widow (Katherine Waterston) is spurred to find out what happened and the truth of his dark past in the thriller "State Like Sleep" (in theaters Jan. 4). SABRINA LANTOS

Sam Elliott stars as a World War II veteran who, decades after assassinating Adolf Hitler, is tasked by the government to hunt down Bigfoot in "The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot" (Feb. 8). RLJE FILMS

After waking up in a future world with no memories, cyborg heroine Alita (Rosa Salazar, with Keean Johnson) tries to find freedom in the sci-fi action film "Alita: Battle Angel" (Feb. 14). 20TH CENTURY FOX

Dwayne Johnson (left) stars as himself and Vince Vaughn is a pro-wrestling talent scout in the comedy/drama "Fighting With My Family" (Feb. 14), about two British siblings trying to break into the WWE. ROBERT VIGLASKY/MGM

Chiwetel Ejiofor (left) writes, directs and stars in Netflix's "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" (March 1), about a teen (Maxwell Simba) in Malawai who invents a way to save his family and village from famine. NETFLIX

Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) goes missing from an idyllic life and her family has to solve the mystery of her disappearance in Richard Linklater’s "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" (March 22). WILSON WEBB/ANNAPURNA PICTURES

Emilio Estevez (center, with Christian Slater) directs and stars in "The Public" (spring 2019), about the conflict between patrons and officials stuck in a Cincinnati library during a nasty arctic blast. BRIAN DOUGLAS

Part of the marketing blitz will include a full trailer, which still hasn't been released yet. Perri Nemiroff, senior producer of movie site Collider.com, suggests "scaling back on Genie in the marketing, that might be the smartest move after what we've seen."

The emphasis could focus on other "Aladdin" aspects such as Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine and their adventure story.

Then Smith will have an entire movie to unfurl his full Genie.

"I just want to see Will Smith own that look and make that role his own," says Nemiroff. "I'm hoping my optimism will not be misplaced."

Randall Jaynes, who has made a career as a deep-hued member of Blue Man Group and is now its artistic director, believes people will come to love this Genie and his vibrant coloring.

"You could already hear this Genie is Will Smith. It had his jingle and pizzazz, but the color is so evocative, it changed the look. Of course, people are going to get used to it," says Jaynes. "Welcome, Will Smith: Blue is a wonderful world to be in."

Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Will Smith as Genie in an early shot. Smith assured freaked-out fans he would be blue.(Photo: WALT DISNEY)